About this Salesforce Certified Application Architect study guide
This page is your Salesforce Certified Application Architect study guide. The certification validates skills that employers look for in Salesforce roles—whether you're an administrator, consultant, developer, or architect. It is designed for architects and solution designers who want to prove their knowledge with an industry-recognized credential.
Here you'll find section-wise exam weightage so you know exactly which topics carry the most questions, exam tips and prerequisites, a focused study plan, and sample practice questions with detailed explanations. All content on this page is original and unique—written specifically for this certification to help with both your preparation and search engine indexing. Use this page to align your study with the official outline and to gauge when you're ready to sit the exam. Many candidates use section weightage to prioritize high-value topics and practice questions to build exam-day confidence.
Passing this certification can support career progression, higher earning potential, and recognition in the Salesforce ecosystem. Salesforce exams are updated periodically, so we keep our materials aligned with current objectives.
Last reviewed: January 2025. Salesforce exam outlines may change; always check the official exam guide on Trailhead before booking.
Release compatible: Winter '26 — Study materials and objectives are aligned with the Winter '26 release (compared to Summer '25).
What's new in Winter '26:
- Agentforce and AI: New Agentforce for Service (IT Service), Agentic Commerce, and Agentforce Grid for low-code AI workflows—expect more AI-related objectives on Admin and Consultant exams.
- Data Cloud: Clean Rooms for privacy-safe data collaboration and zero-copy analytics; Data Cloud objectives may include new collaboration and governance topics.
- Automation & Platform: Enhanced automation capabilities and platform updates; Flow, Process Builder, and integration topics remain core—check the official outline for weightage changes.
- Tableau & Analytics: Tableau Next Concierge in Slack and conversational analytics; Tableau certs may reference new Slack and natural-language features.
- Security & Access: Continued focus on identity, access management, and secure data handling; relevant for Administrator and Architect tracks.
Salesforce Certified Application Architect Study Guide
Certified Application Architects have a deep understanding of native Salesforce features and functionality. They're also experts at modeling a role hierarchy, data, and appropriate sharing mechanisms.
Exam Weightage by Section
Exam Topics
Exam Tips
- 1Each of the four pillars is 25%—no section can be skipped.
- 2Data Architecture: data model, LDV, integration patterns for data.
- 3Identity and Access: SSO, federation, user lifecycle.
- 4Be ready for “design a solution that meets X and Y requirements.”
Prerequisites
- •Multiple architect-level certs
- •Years of implementation experience
Focus Areas
- •Data Architecture
- •Integration Architecture
- •Identity and Access Management
- •Development Lifecycle
Study Strategy
Treat each pillar as a mini-exam. Use CTA scenario practice to get used to open-ended design questions. Time management is critical.
Sample Practice Questions
Test your knowledge with these sample questions.
What is the focus of an Application Architect?
Which sharing mechanism is used to open access based on record ownership?
What is the role hierarchy used for?
Which certification is typically a prerequisite for Application Architect?
What does 'modeling data' mean for an Application Architect?
Want More Practice Questions?
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Contact Us for Full AccessFrequently Asked Questions
- What is covered on the Salesforce Certified Application Architect exam?
- This page shows the section-wise exam weightage so you know exactly which topics carry the most weight. Use the exam topics and practice questions above to align your study with the official outline.
- What is Application Architect?
- Application Architect is part of the Technical Architect path. It focuses on data architecture, integration architecture, identity and access management, and development lifecycle.
- What certifications do I need before Application Architect?
- You typically need multiple intermediate certifications (Administrator, Developer I, etc.) and years of implementation experience. Application Architect is advanced-level.
- How do I prepare for the Salesforce Certified Application Architect certification?
- Use the exam tips, prerequisites, and study strategy on this page. Focus first on the highest-weighted sections, then take the sample practice questions. Schedule the exam when you consistently score well on practice tests.
- Where can I find the official exam outline for Salesforce Certified Application Architect?
- Salesforce publishes exam guides and outlines on Trailhead (trailhead.salesforce.com). This page's section weightage and topics are aligned with those outlines to help you prepare.